Here They Come, Big-Boned Beauties All Dolled Up ‘Pageant,’ a Musical Parody, Is Revived

I have fond but vague memories of the original Off Broadway production of Pageant, a musical spoof of beauty contests featuring an all-male cast of competitors dolled up in shiny gowns, bathing suits and heels. Having seen the sparkly and serviceable revival of the show that opened at the Davenport Theater on Monday night, I am inclined to wonder if the vagueness might have something to do with the fondness. Then again, back in 1991, when the show made its debut, the idea of a beauty pageant parody featuring men in drag seemed novel and a little loopy. Today, when a man in a spangled dress would hardly raise an eyebrow sashaying down Main Street in Disneyland, the concept feels almost quaint. Beauty pageants, for that matter, have now practically evaporated from mainstream culture, making this broad sendup of the genre seem like a matter of shooting (exotic) fish in a barrel. Or do I mean (dead) fish in a barrel? The new production, directed by Matt Lenz, has been modestly updated by the original writers, Bill Russell (Side Show) and Frank Kelly, who collaborated on the book and lyrics, and Albert Evans, who wrote the perky music. References to Duck Dynasty and Twitter are now sprinkled over the proceedings. But these are merely a matter of a fresh corsage pinned onto a sun-faded gown. As before, the show follows the format of old-school beauty pageants pretty strictly, winking away madly all the while.